NBA Regifts Classic 'Jingle Hoops' for a New Generation

An animated update for the holidays

Here’s an NBA campaign with five players practicing three-point shots to the tune of a Christmas carol. Does that ring a bell?

The description fits “Jingle Hoops” from 2013, one of the most beloved holiday sports ads ever made.

But we’re talking about new work, dubbed “Jingle Hoops Regifted.” Billed as “an animated remix” of the earlier spot, it just dropped across NBA social platforms and the league’s app, with a TV debut during tonight’s Emirates Cup action on TNT, truTV and Max.

Superstars Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Luka Dončić and Jayson Tatum appear as stylized cartoon action figures in a hyper-realistic arena-verse:

The flesh-and-blood Curry, Durant and James featured in the original, too. Here in ’24, Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Nikola Jokić, Tyrese Maxey and Victor Wembanyama also star in “Regifted,” which builds to a frantic finale.

Versions of ESPN’s Malika Andrews and Mike Breen show up for the play by play:

Basically, it’s the same old song—with a decidedly different beat. Such robust animation fits the tenor of our tech-drenched age. Busier than its predecessor, packed with sound and motion, “Regifted” proves a hectic homage to an all-time great:

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“We tap into nostalgia while delivering modern, festive animation, allowing us to connect with all corners of our diverse fanbase,” NBA CMO Tammy Henault tells Muse

“Once we landed on the concept of a remix to ‘Jingle Hoops,’ we knew that it should include a few familiar elements from the original to resonate with our audience,” she says.

To that end, the opening lines are the same, with Tatum stepping in for Derrick Rose and bidding Durant to “tune it up!”

King James gets the last word in both iterations, quipping, “Please tell me the camera was on.”

“Another fun piece in the development of ‘Jingle Hoops Regifted’ was the incorporation of the players’ true likeness down to their gameday shoes,” Henault says. “Each player who has a signature shoe is wearing actual, animated models in the creative from LeBron in his Nikes to Stephen in his Curry Brands.”

Translation led campaign development with director Dave Scanlon and animation studio Passion Pictures. The same team put together last year’s similar NBA Yuletide promo, which rocks a similar style but less epic feel.